72-hour braised short rib with leeks, roasted carrots and a red wine reduction

72-hour braised short rib with leeks, roasted carrots and a red wine reduction

Image 6 of 7

Corn meal custard with tuille and strawberries

Corn meal custard with tuille and strawberries

Image 7 of 7

Macarons and caramels to end the meal

Macarons and caramels to end the meal

Indulging in a tasting-menu lunch at Michael Mina

1 / 7

Back to Gallery

When I go to France, or even the French Laundry, I don’t mind ordering a tasting menu at lunch. It feels like I’m on vacation and indulging.

However, I never think about ordering that way in San Francisco, partly because most of the restaurants that do fixed-price menus — such as Benu, Saison and Quince — are only open for dinner.

Last week I decided to go to Michael Mina to try Ron Siegel’s “Chef’s On a Whim” four-course lunch menu. It’s a good deal for $55 and it’s a way to slow down and relax — but not too much. They realize many diners still have places to go, so we were in and out in little more than an hour. I’m sure the meal would have slowed down considerably if we had ordered wine, but since I did have to return to work, I abstained. Still, during that time we felt pampered by the service and the meticulously crafted food where the flavors played well off each other.

Both Siegel and Mina love Japanese flavors, so it was little surprise that the gift from the chef to kick off the meal was hamachi nigiri, served on a plate that was spattered and spotted in such as way that you couldn’t tell what was added by the chef, and what was placed there by the artist.

That was followed by other favorites: tuna tartare (still one of the best examples to be found), lobster, and the 72-hour braised short ribs, and finishing up with a cornmeal custard.

It’s a good way to break up the day and return for a productive afternoon.